The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-12-27
CukSApEAkE IL OHIO.

wha Goal OpsrnIUr-Thet I Coal Ageucy OF
MIR. Huntinston's Rohd. ~.
Mr.. Theodore Wright, President Of the
Winiirode Coal Company, operating In
Kanawha county, has in the New York
Commercial advertiser tho folio wing open
letter to tho stock and bondholders Of the
Chesapeake 4 Ohio Railway Company
GENTLEMEN: Mr.. O. P. Huntington hay.
Ing asked that receiver be appointed for
your rold, upon tho ground that said cor.
poration isi financial difficulties, 1t would
seem to me, in view oil the increased ton.
mage business throughout the South, and
the Increased tonnage over your road, that
committee should investigate thorough.
ly as to the cause OF such sad state of az.
fairs. do not propose to touch upon the
numerous complaints which have heard
from time to time from the owners of va.
riouu industrien situated on the line OF Your
road, but to onino myself strictly 10 a
lew facts directly coming under my no.
tice. ! am President Of the Winifrede
Goal Company, q corporation having a
paid In cash capital OF four hundred and
fifty thousand dollars (S45O ,0OO); owning
10000 acres Of land, having some two
hundred houses thereon, and population
oil upTard of twelve hundred people, l
am also President OF the Winifrsde Rail-
road Company, q corporation having a
paid in cash capital OF one hundred and
fifty thcusand dollars (Sl5O,OOO), owning
q standard gauge railroad OF some fiys and
a hill miles in louSth and fully equipped
Tor business. Neither OF the above cor
polatlcna has any bcnda, mortgages, pre-.
lerred stock or floating debt, -.
The Winifrcde railroad connects with
the Chesapeake & Ohio railway ut Wini.
trede Junction, thirteen miles cas-. OF
Charleston, Kanawha county, West Vir-
| ginia. Tho present capacity OF the mines
is 1000 tons daily. OF this tonnage, prac.
tica.ly not one pound goes over the lire OF
your road. In 1882 freight rate was &C.
corded the above coal company to New.
port Nswa aud Richmond, as follows:- 70
Newport News, s. % per ton, and to Rich.
mond 81 per ton for coal to be shipped
from these points to the eastern markets !:
and upon the assurance that the rates
were given in good faith, and that they
could take contracts based thereon, the
coal company made salea and commenced
shipments, but Immediately upon ship.
men:s being made freight rates we're i'd
ranced to S. per ton TO Newport News
and 81 10 peI ton to Richmond, Il ia for
you to ascertain whether or not freight
rates Of as low % ST IS per ton on coal
have been accorded the Chesapeake &
Ohio Coal Agency OF other favored par
ties.
The first vsnael chartered (achooner Re.
becca Florence, August, 1897 by the
Winifrede Coal Company to take coal to
eastern markets, was ordered to Newport
News, and instead of Winifrede coal be-
ing put therein, other coal (probably that
belonging to the Chesapeake and Ohio
Coal Agency was given to this vessel,
and the Winitrede company was request
cd to sell it's coal, shipped for the above
purpose, to the coal agency, and to per.
NIT the substitution Of other coal in an.
other vessel which 1t was proposed to fur
nish in lieu Of the vessel taken. This sub-
stitution OF coal was positively declined.
Thereupon, another vessel was furnished,
but the coal company was told that the
shipment OF coal thereafter would have
to cease, as the interests Of the Chess.
peako and Ohio Coal Agency conilicted
with said business. Therefore, after
filling q few existing contracts, the Wini-
frede Coal Company ceased practically to
do business over your line.
Within the last two weeks application
has been made by the Winiirede Goal
Company for ca,s for the shipment of coal
wcat. An average Of less than one car
daily has been accorded, though an order
for twenty-five cars daily WAS given; and,
therefore, the Winifrede Railroad Com.
pany, in consequence Of cars not being
furnished promptly and in quantity, asked
that their own cars, to the number Of 1870
leach holding six tons, and similar in
every respect to the siz.ton coal cars OF
tho Lehigh Valley Railroad), be forward.
ed. This proposition was declined, not.
withdrawing it WAS proposed to waive all
charges for car aervice or wheelage there.
on. Tho reason given by General Wick.
ham, recsivor, for declining to accept coal
in the Winiirsde Railroad Company's
six.ton cars was that the curves on the
Elizabeth, Lexington. & Big Sandy divi-
aion OF the road were sharp, and the grades
heavy. 1t Ia well known fact that
both the Philadelphia and Reading and
Lehigh Valley railroad companies use
Thousands Of ai1-ton coal cara, for the rea.
son that they can 20 around sharper
curve then ten, twenty, or thirty.ton
car. And it Is unnecessary to add that a
si1-ton car can Bio hauled over grade
which q ten, twenty or thirty.ton car is
unable to surmount. The two Winifrede
companies above referred to have spent
upward OF $4,000 in cash on the line OF
your road, and 1t may be surprise to you
to know that neither a freight station nor
ticket agents station has been placed at
Winifrede Junction by your company, the
Winilrede Railroad Company having &C.
corded the above facilities free oil rent for
the last four years. 1t Is fact that freight
stations and ticket ofiicea have been placed
at points on the line OF your road where
the population is not exceeding twenty.
five people, !. y Is ~
II q committee OF investigation Is up.
pointed it might BIO well for them to invis,
Itigate. - ~ . -t.s,'' & Z ,''5l .55
First-The policy Of continuing a coal
agency; the price at which coal is bought
and sold by them the freight rate earned